My name is Klaudia Feteríková. I studied at GYMES from 2013 to 2018, and even after all these years I still remember this school with a smile. During those five years, our class had as many as three class teachers: Mrs Popíková, Mrs Mahútová and finally Mr Hric, who is still teaching at the school today. Our class gradually grew closer, but it was in the last two years of our studies that we found our way to one another most, and these friendships have lasted to this day. We meet regularly, and my closest circle of friends is still made up of people from GYMES: Jakub, Kika, Fero, Slávka, Naty and Emmka. Although many people scattered abroad after school, we stayed in touch.

After graduating, I stayed close to home. At Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, I began studying British and American Studies combined with Biology. Later I decided to continue to a master’s degree in teacher training. During my studies I worked alongside university, trying out various positions, from part-time jobs to employment in the corporate world. Although that experience gave me a great deal, over time I realised that I was looking for work that would give me a greater sense of meaning.

And so fate brought me back to GYMES, this time in the role of a teacher. It is a place that shaped me, and now I have the opportunity to contribute so that others can feel at home here too. I believe that school should not be only about knowledge, but above all about relationships, trust and support. In my work and in life I try to hold on to values such as honesty, respect and humanity. And although every day brings some surprise, I know that I am in the right place.

If you could go back to school for one day, which day would it be and why?
If I could return to school for one day, I would choose a completely ordinary day, one when our only concern was school, when we had time, laughter and friends all around us, and segedín for lunch. Back then we thought we were on top of the world. I just did not know that a few years later I would come back again, as a teacher. And now, along those same corridors, I am hurrying into the classroom exactly the kind of students we once were ourselves.

How did you perceive the atmosphere at school during your studies?

The school was much smaller then, and there was an almost family-like atmosphere. We all knew one another. We respected the teachers, but at the same time we felt relaxed. We used to have Mass in the chapel and in the corridor on the first floor. The school gradually grew, but I think that original spirit of closeness has been preserved to this day.

Have any of your friendships from GYMES lasted until today?

Yes, and I am very grateful for them. Our class was always very close, and that has not changed even after the years have passed. Although many now live abroad and some already have families, we are still in touch. We may not see each other every day as we once did, but we know about one another, we support one another, and when we meet, it feels as though we last saw each other yesterday.

What advice would you give to current students?

Enjoy these years to the full. They are not only about grades. Build friendships, take part in the activities the school offers you, and create memories that you will one day look back on.

What is it like to teach at the same school where you once studied? Do you see any advantages or disadvantages?

In the first days I had a strange feeling, walking along the same corridors but from the opposite perspective. The advantage is that I know the school from both sides and understand what students are going through, because I went through it myself.

What led you to the decision to become a teacher at the very school you once attended as a student?

I wanted to leave the corporate environment. I did not feel that the job gave me any real sense of purpose. Teaching attracted me because I wanted to do something that would have an impact and meaning for others. And when an opportunity at GYMES appeared at exactly that time, I took it as a sign. Perhaps it was fate, returning to the place where it all began.

What is it like to be a colleague of teachers who once taught you? Has it changed your view of the school or of the teaching profession?

At the beginning I thought it would feel strange, but in the rush of responsibilities I do not really think about it anymore. Although some of them still remember me as a student, those feelings gradually change. It has certainly changed my view of what it means to be a teacher, and I now know that the work does not end when I walk out of the school doors.